Cinderella
by Shana Moore
Summary: My own story. Not based on any movie, book, television show, or manga. Korean horror.
1. Chapter 1

**1**

The night in which I met Kang Young-min was the very best night in my life and also the very worst. Ordinarily I would laugh at myself and agree that it couldn't possibly be both, but my years spent at Pa Jun College Preparatory school have taught me a few things about bittersweetness. He seemed so fascinating to me- even the salty smell of his hands was a kind of rich perfume. I remember clearly my first day at boarding school, after the tearful separation from my parents and sisters in my dorm room. I sat on the bottom bunk, clutching my small sack of belongings and staring and the white walls of my new home in Gimcheon.

"Kim Juhee?"

I looked up with a start and tightened my grip on my bag. A girl about my age stood in the door, wearing traditional academy uniform: a plaid skirt with a blue suit jacket. She had huge, round, glasses that covered most of her face and a long braid that ran down her back and **ended at the hem of her skirt.**

Her voice interrupted my stare. "Are you Kim Juhee?"

I nodded, closing my mouth when I realized it was hanging open stupidly. I felt like I had seen this girl before, but I couldn't imagine just where or when it would be.

"My name is Jang Ha-jeong. I'm your roommate."

I figured that she was before she confirmed it, but I let a smile creep up all the same. She didn't look bad at all as far as living companions go, and one of my worries was that I would get some sort of freak as a bunk mate.

"Top or bottom?" I asked, standing. "I don't mind either way."

"May I have the bottom bunk? I don't like heights."

I beamed and bowed low, my hair falling over my face.

"Pleased to meet you... Jang Ha-jeong."

"May I call you Juhee? I know it's crude, but there are an awfully lot of Kims I have met today, and I don't want to get confused."

I couldn't help but laugh at Jang's eccentricity. "Of course you may. I'm sure we'll be friends in no time anyway."

She beamed. "Then... in exchange, you can call me Ha-jeong." She giggled. "It's been a while since anyone's called me _that_."

Swinging my bag onto the top bunk, I crawled up after it, crossing my legs and making myself comfortable. **Ha-jeong unpacked her things from a small bag, placing them orderly on her desk.** I took the time to look around, surprised at the size of the room, which was almost twice that of my room at home. Two desks adorned the northeast and northwest corners and the bed set was lined up against the north wall. This left plenty of room for an entire set of sofas and small chairs, with a six foot bookcase next to the door on the east side.

"It's pretty big," I remarked, brushing my hair out of my face. I was already starting to be comfortable with my bunk mate.

"Yes! Very few go here, so the ones that do have the luxury of space."

I turned at an awkward angle to reach into my pocket and pull out the small, folded blue paper. Pressing it flat on my bedspread, I reviewed the neat handwriting of the school secretary for the umpteenth time.

"What's your schedule?" I asked Ha-jeong, who had settled herself on one of the mammoth bean bags.

"I haven't gotten it yet. They said there were complications with the logistic stuff. You?"

I glanced at the paper. "Math first hour after home room, then English..." I groaned. I had always hated English. "Society, chemistry, then lunch at 12:50."

"After that?"

"Physics, Society 2, Math 2, Korean, then Japanese. School ends at 5:30 for dinner."

"That's not too bad!" Ha-jeong stood and crossed the room to the beds, pulling herself up on the top bunk next to me. "I hope we have some classes together."

Biting my lip, I grinned sideways at her. "I thought you didn't like the top bunk."

She looked startled, then laughed. "Only when I'm asleep. If I'm awake, I can keep myself from falling!"

"Is this your first year here?"

She shook her head. "Second, actually. I'm eighteen, too, though. I got here a year early." Ninety percent of the academy was eighteen, though it was a two-year course.

I crinkled my nose. "So you know, then..."

"Eh? Know what?"

"Are there any good looking boys?" That was the only truly important question, and there weren't any percentage breakdowns in the brochure.

Ha-jeong blushed a deep red. "Well... most fancy Kang Young-min, but..."

"But?" I prodded, bouncing slightly. She grew a shade darker and seemed reluctant to continue.

"There's a boy who works at the library sometimes... His name is Park Pil-gi."

"And..." I bit my lip again. "You are together?"

Her mask fell into wistfulness. "Maybe someday..."

So this Park Pil-gi was definitely off-limits. If my intuition was right, and it usually is, we would be as close as sisters in a few weeks time which meant I couldn't even touch Park. I moved on. "Tell me more about this Kang Young-min."

"Oh..." her face fell.

"What? Is he unkind to you?" Perhaps I had made an enemy without realizing it.

"No, it's not that at all. He is very kind. There's just something very... off about him." She twisted her lips and screwed her face up in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

She paused for a moment before continuing: "I'm not too sure myself. The outside is very beautiful, but I think there is something ugly on the inside that he's trying to hide."

"Well, we all have secrets," I reasoned. "Sometimes they just get too big for us."

Ha-jeong stared into space for a while, swinging her legs back and forth off of the bed. I wasn't entirely sure quite what I should say or even think. I'd have to meet Kang and see for myself what unnerved Ha-jeong.

"I'm going to go explore campus for a while, you want to join?"

She shook her head. "I came all the way from Seoul, so my drive was pretty long. I might take a nap."

"Suit yourself."

Waving goodbye to my new friend, I jumped off of the top bunk and made my way to the door, poking my head into the hallway. By this time, most of the students had been shown to their dorms and were now unpacking their bags and meeting their roommates. Since I had already gotten off on such a great foot with mine, I decided to take the hour before orientation to explore the campus. Our room was at the very north end of the hallway, and the only staircase was to the south, twenty doors away. I took my time to get there, leisurely strolling down the long, carpeted hall and trying to memorize the names on the door plaques. By the time I reached the stairwell, I felt like I had already made connections with the owners of the names I had read and was humming happily all the way to the courtyard.

There were only a few students scattered around the garden, most of them sitting alone or with only one other person. Since this was the first day for most of us, we didn't have time to meet a lot of people. I spied a gang of girls under a willow tree in the middle of the park and gathered up the courage to introduce myself. I took a few steps forward, then stopped, eyeing their behavior. Something heated was happening. The first three girls were laughing and seemingly enjoying themselves, but the remaining two looked like they were arguing. My curiosity got the better of me and, taking advantage of a nearby shrub, I crouched to the ground, careful not to get my skirt filthy.

"You sick whore! Who gave YOU permission?"

I was expecting a response, but I only heard sobbing intermingled with the others' laughter. Carefully, I peeked over the top of the bush and focused my eyes on the two arguers. One had her back to me and the other wore a look of unquenchable rage, her fists clenched and her short hair bristling.

"I'm sorry, Ko," the first sobbed, keeping her hands over her eyes. "We really _were_ only talking."

The one called Ko scoffed, crossing her arms and flipping the ends of her hair out of her eyes. "He wouldn't fall for someone like you anyway."

One of the laughing girls suddenly jumped on the picnic table and waved her arms, shouting to the courtyard: "Lee Eun is an ugly slut!"

She repeated it until it became a chant, the other two laughing girls joining in and doing a dance of their own. The crying girl hunched her shoulders and the angry one looked pleased, circling the first like a vulture's prey. The one I presumed to be Lee said something indiscernible to me, her voice was too weak and shaky.

"What was that?" Ko demanded, walking forward until she was inches from the other. Lee stood up a little straighter.

"You don't have your name on him."

The angry girl lifted her arm to strike and I decided it was time to intervene. I leapt over the shrub, my anger compelling me to run straight toward the five students, ignoring the warning glances from the others in the park. I was already right behind Lee before Ko noticed my presence, raising a single eyebrow at me.

"Hi?"

Lee Eun looked up at me like a beaten puppy and it was only just then that I realized I had absolutely no plan. I fidgeted with the ends of my sleeves, eyes darting between Ko and her minions.

"Um.. h-hello," I stammered, making an effort to keep my spine straight. Ko put her hands on her hips and stared.

"And you are..."

"Kim Juhee." I tried to keep myself from bowing. "I wish I could say it's a pleasure."

She narrowed her eyes. "Can I help you?"

My mouth opened and closed of its own free will. Instinctively, I grabbed Lee Eun's elbow and began to drag her back toward the girls dorm, making sure I seeped enough anger into my footsteps.

"Oi, where do you think you're going?"

I ignored her but sped up.

"Think you can hide behind a new student? You're asking for it!"

"Why aren't they chasing us?" Lee asked meekly as she was being dragged along. "You think they're afraid of you?"

I laughed and gave her a cocky grin. "No, they just don't think I'm worthy of their time."

We made it to the academy in what seemed like an eternity, the frustrated yells of Ko and her gang chasing us to the door. I waited until we were out of both sight and earshot before I spoke to Lee again:

"We're early for orientation still, but we can talk. And you can meet my friend when she arrives."

She smiled meekly but didn't reply. Instead, she took a step inside and seemed to be surveying the academy lobby not unlike a child checking under her bed for monsters. We were the only ones in the foyer except a tall, white-shirted boy who was sitting on a table facing away from us.

I made sure the door behind us closed so as to not let in the stifling August heat. By the time I turned back to Lee, her eyes were full and sparkling and she couldn't keep her eyes off of the tall boy, who either didn't notice our entrance or chose to ignore it. At first, I supposed he was a student aide for the secretary, who was behind the counter talking with a student. However, he didn't seem to be doing anything productive, rather – as I got closer, I realized he was reading a novel. It was in Chinese.

Lee Eun didn't seem to be moving anytime soon, so I approached the table the boy was sitting at, smoothing out my uniform and clearing my throat. He looked up from his book at my approach, squinting in the setting sunlight from the huge west window. He was good looking, but not remarkably so. I bowed low, smiling reassuredly and taking a deep breath.

"Hello. My name is Kim Juhee. What's yours?"

The boy eyed me almost suspiciously before replying. "Park Pil-gi. It's a pleasure."

_The _Park Pil-gi? My nervousness suddenly increased twofold. "Y-your book," I stammered stupidly.

He glanced down at it briefly then his gaze returned to me. "What about it?"

"That's Chinese, right?"

Immediately he brightened up. "Yes! I studied abroad in Taiwan for two years. I loved it there."

I opened my mouth to reply, but there was no stopping him now.

"I want to be a translator when I graduate and learn all the Chinese dialects. Then I can live there for the rest of my life." His face twitched slightly with excitement and I had to contain my laugh. He looked a little like a rabbit.

"Have you met Lee Eun?" I asked, reaching behind me and tugging her forward. Physically, she didn't struggle, but I could almost hear her thoughts screaming for me to let her run away. She glanced sideways at me, purposefully letting her eyes wander from Park.

"Ah, I believe we have met. I'm Park Pil-gi, in case you don't know."

Lee gave him a weak smile and her gaze shifted to the linoleum.

"You come to the library sometimes," he continued. "If memory serves me correctly, you're a fan of the foreign language section, too."

She let out a croaking noise that sounded like she was clearing her vocal chords from a build-up of dust. "I'm learning English..."

"Really?" he exclaimed, scooting forward. "Say something to me in English." I had become exclusively a spectator of the conversation.

There was a long, painful pause before Lee spoke again. I knew enough to tell it was English, but I had no idea what she said: it sounded too foreign. She went on for a while, and even gestured with her arms a few times. Amusing that the most I had ever heard her speak was a speech not even close to what I could understand.

Park's smile shifted to a surprised one. "Impressive! Did I hear you say something about cats?"

Lee's blush deepened an octave.

"How long have you been studying?"

I received an unvoiced cue to exit the conversation and peeled Lee's fingers away from my elbow, bowing out and retreating back to the courtyard. Perhaps I had contributed to the blossoming of a new friendship today. Receiving the cool wind with open arms, I skipped to my next destination: the mammoth library. Pa Jun was famous for it: one of the biggest libraries south of Daejeon. **It was eight stories high, and packed to the brim with books in every language about every subject.** There was only fifteen minutes left until orientation, so students were beginning to pile into the library's lecture hall, an appendix on the west side of the building. Instead, I went through the main entrance, a set of three automatic sliding doors printed over with the hours of operation. There were no lights in the lobby with the exception of the setting sun streaming in through the glass entrance.

I took a few steps forward, dizzy with awe at the massive size of the first floor alone. Shelves and shelves of books ranging from romance novels to chemistry textbooks stretched out in all directions, lining up in a three-dimensional pattern. At the center, a round, brick-walled elevator stood in wait to show me what the other levels had to offer. I would have little control of myself in this labyrinth and, worse still, would desire no control.

My admiration was interrupted by the rude sound of the warning bell, beckoning the students to their seats in the lecture hall. Stealing one last glance at the hundreds of wooden shelves, I jogged back out the sliding doors and was once again wrapped in a cool, refreshing breeze. I rounded the corner to the double doored entrance of the auditorium, propped open to let in the flow of oncoming teenagers. Slipping into the crowd, I stood on my toes briefly to peek over their heads, searching for Ha-jeong, Park, or Lee. I was unusually tall for a Korean girl of my age, so spotting a pair of gigantic, black-brimmed glasses didn't present too much of a problem. I shoved gently through a throng of gossiping girls to reach Ha-jeong, who stood alone.

"There you are. I was wondering if you were going to be late. You seem like the kind of person who has her head in the clouds." Ha-jeong remarked, biting at her nails.

"I almost was. How do you get used to a library so huge?"

"You don't," Park pointed out, suddenly appearing over my shoulder. I stepped back to let him form a circle of conversation, completed by the meek entrance of Lee Eun, who was tagging along quietly behind him. "I'll bet you can't even if you read every book."

Ha-jeong hummed in agreement. "There are some books on the fourth floor that make Hyangga

look like it was written with a crayon."

Lee stared blankly at her, blinking in such a way that made it seem as though she didn't believe Jang was really there. Ha-jeong bowed low as soon as she noticed Lee's gaze.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. Jang Ha-jeong. I'm Kim's roommate."

Park gave Lee a few claps on the shoulder, causing her already hunched form to sink lower. "This is Lee Eun. She doesn't say much, but she's really quite a nice person."

I was fairly certain that I was the only one who noticed Ha-jeong narrow her eyes slightly at his comment. She exchanged bows with Lee for a second time just before we all got our turn to go through the door and round a corner into the lecture hall. It was only about three-hundred seats, but that was more than enough room to accommodate the small student body. My new friends and I chose seats on the far side of the hall, settling into them and shedding our jackets. I extracted a small notepad and pen from the pocket of mine, jotting down the time and date on the first page. I had gotten into the habit of carrying paper with me since I was in primary school; I habitually forget even critical things.

Pen in hand and journal in my lap, I settled back just as the lights dimmed for the projector presentation.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

The video was short – a few pictures of Pa Jun with a cheerful baritone voice advertising our "endless opportunities". Park Pil-gi leaned his head back about two minutes in and dozed off, mouth hanging open slightly. It seemed that Lee Eun was the only one in the audience who was paying attention to more than half of the presentation – Ha-jeong and I found the patterns of the bars on the roof a bit more interesting to study.

When the projector switched off and the lights once again filled the room, Ha-jeong elbowed Park a few times to stir him from his nap. There were about a dozen people sitting on the small stage adjacent to the backdrop, one of which I recognized as Principal Choi Se-jin. I could tell that the boy sitting next to him was a student, but I couldn't see his face; his head was turned to speak with the old woman to his right.

Ha-jeong tapped on my shoulder and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "That's the one you were interested in. Kang Young-min."

I tried turning my head in every direction to get a better angle of him, but my efforts were wasted. Clicking my tongue in disappointment, I sat back and crossed my legs, shaking my head at Ha-jeong.

"I can't really-"

My report was interrupted by the sound of shrieking school girls and raucous applause. Kang was standing and approaching the podium and for the first time all day, I could see just what everyone was screaming about.

"Wow..." I breathed, blinking the disbelief from my eyes. "He's...wow." The most flawless boy I had ever seen was standing at a podium only twenty meters away from me. He shot the girls in the front a sweet but reserved smile before beginning his speech.

"Good evening," he started simply.

More screaming. Principal Choi made a quick end of it by simply staring down at them over his glasses and shaking his head. There was a definite cloud of discipline around him that made him more intimidating than any of the other staff, even though he was the youngest by a long margin. I made a mental note to stay on his good side.

"For those of you who may not know me, my name is Kang Young-min," he continued, wrapping his fingers around the edges of the podium. "I'm the student representative."

The ladies in the front row thought about screeching again, but ultimately decided against it. Kang went on to discuss basic rules and regulations of the academy and before too long, Park Pil-gi was once again unconscious.

Two hours later and my first orientation finally came to a close. This time it took all three of us to get Park awake and on his feet, though he was a bit wobbly. On the way outside, we chatted freely and even Lee put in a word or two after Park split from us to go to the boy's dormitory. By this time, the only thing piercing through the muggy and sweltering darkness was the row of street lamps lining the walkway to the academy. The girl's dorm stood just behind it, shrouded in its shadow and lit by superficial, flickering wall lamps.

Ha-jeong let out a long and loud yawn, taking off her glasses and absentmindedly cleaning them on her shirt. The two of them climbed the stairs slowly, sluggish from our long day. I had different intentions.

"There's still an hour until we need to be in our dorms," I pointed out, remaining at the bottom of the stairwell.

"You go have adventures." Ha-jeong let out another yawn. "I'll be asleep when you get back, I'm sure."

Lee simply gave me a small smile and bowed low.

"Suit yourself. You don't think it will be dangerous at night, do you?"

Ha-jeong shook her her head. "There should still be quite a few people wandering around. Make some friends, okay?"

"Don't run into Ko Min-seo," Lee added weakly.

I bowed to both of them in turn and raced back out into the oppressive summer air. Despite the comfortable temperature a few hours ago, the night had quite suddenly become too warm. I took off my jacket and draped it over the back of a wooden bench, bathed in the greenish glow of a lone street lamp. Collapsing on it, I leaned back and closed my eyes, enjoying the cadenced hymns of the crickets and the rustling of the hedges.

"Excuse me, miss. I don't know you... and you happen to be on my bench."

The words startled me into an unexpected adrenaline rush and my body reacted without my consent. I tried to stand, but my legs tied in knots and my knees gave way. My next feeling was a rush of air, then cool grass on my cheek. Twisting my neck to look upwards, I saw Kang Young-min staring down at me with a pensive face.

"You are no longer on my bench. Thank you."

I blinked in disbelief. His uniform was crumpled and his tie was loose, but everything else about him was immaculate. Even the half-eaten bag of chips in his left hand had a sort of glow just because he owned it.

"My apologies, miss, I didn't mean to startle you so much." He knelt and offered a hand, smiling almost wickedly. I took it and stumbled to my feet, bowing as low as I could without falling over for a second time.

"Kim Juhee. You must be Kang Young-min. It's a pleasure."

His grin spread wider and he threw another handful of chips in his mouth before bowing, mainly with his neck.

"This is your first year here." His speech was slurred by the food in his mouth.

"Ah... yes!" I tried to remember if I had already told him my name. Since his chin seemed to be his least remarkable feature, I focused in on it as I continued. "The people here are very kind."

Kang blinked at me a few times before he settled himself on the bench. I wasn't quite sure what to do until he patted the space next to him and leaned back in his seat.

"Where're you from?"

Licking my lips and mustering my courage, I sat beside him and cleared my throat. "Cheju, actually. I'm a long way from home."

His eyebrows shot up and his face lit. "You're an islander! I can tell by your hair color. You're the first to come to Pa Jun in a long while. It must be cold here to you. I'm from the north – much farther north. It seems warm here."

"You are from Seoul?"

He hesitated but then hummed affirmation and stared into space for a moment. I let him swim alone in his thoughts of home. The quiet was interrupted by the crackling of his chip bag as he offered some of his snack to me.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you."

The next few seconds ticked by bathed in silence, though not an awkward one. Kang soon finished his chips and tossed the bag in a nearby trash receptacle, not bothering to move from his seat. I had the bravery to speak first this time.

"Where will you go when you graduate? What will you study?" I leaned forward and placed my hands on my knees, staring sideways at his profile. He thought for a moment, licking cheesy powder off of his fingers, then suddenly sat up straight.

"Tell me what my hands smell like," he commanded, swinging his arm in front of my face and rising his fingers to dangle right below my nose. At first, I was startled by his odd question, but he didn't seem to be joking so I leaned forward slightly and breathed deeply through my nose.

The first scent to strike me was potato chips, but I pushed that aside, coming to the conclusion that that wasn't what he intended me to smell. My next impression was that of... salt? Not the kind you might find in a shaker on your dinner table, but the sour, strong scent that ocean waves carry.

"Salt," I answered, closing my eyes and taking another deep breath. "You're hands smell like salt."

He grinned at me and I forgot how to breathe. "Very good. Most people can recognize the scent, but can't quite pin it." His black eyes sparkled with boyish pride. "My parents and my sister run a salt house in Seoul. Theirs is very industrialized, you know? Too big. So I want to start my own in the country. I want to add... I don't quite know how to describe it. It'll be like the difference between buying bread at a convenience store and going to a bakery for a fresh loaf."

I had never seen someone speak so reverently about a seasoning before. Was it impolite to laugh?

"What about you?" he asked me, leaning back again. I thought for a while.

"I really haven't decided yet. I suppose that I thought I would just find out what it was when I came here."

"It's not that easy," Kang explained, reaching between his feet for his bag. "Here, I have something to show you." He placed it between us, digging through it for a few moments before retrieving a few pamphlets.

"You can keep them," he said, tossing them on my lap. "I hope they are helpful to you."

I didn't quite know what to say. I bowed low and thanked him, picking up the pile of brochures from the folds of my skirt. I flipped through them one by one, acutely aware of Kang looking over my shoulder, practically breathing down my neck. Making an effort to keep my features calm, I turned my face toward him when I reached the last of his pamphlets.

His nose was two inches away from mine.

_I had meant to say something... about something. What was it? Paper... careers... the brochures! Of course!_

"I will... definitely look at them in length," I whispered. The beauty in his face seemed to contain a level of sacredness that made it difficult to speak up in close proximity. "...when I get back."

_When I get back where? Where am I?_

He leaned in an inch closer and our noses were almost brushing. I held my breath, and clenched my fists around the edges of my skirt. Everything that wasn't Kang Young-min seemed very far away.

Then a rude ringing in my ears. _What is that?_ I didn't move – I couldn't, but Kang looked up, his nose crinkling with amusement.

"That would be the warning bell for curfew, miss." He stood up and my chest ached with the need for him to sit again. "If you aren't in your room in fifteen minutes you'll be penalized. It was nice meeting you..." He bowed and when he looked up again, his eyes met mine, jump starting my lungs back from comatose.

"Kim Juhee. Goodnight."

Then he turned and began walking away just as suddenly as he had come. I was only capable of staring at the back of his white shirt, soon swallowed up by the shadow of the massive library. Even after he had gone, I continued gazing at that shadow, half-wishing him to come back out of it.

Then I remembered where I was. I leapt to my feet, this time possessing enough strength to hold myself up. The dorms! I had to get to my room before eleven. Glancing at my wristwatch, I gathered up my jacket and the pamphlets from Kang, heading back toward my dorm. I had to have a serious talk with Ha-jeong when I got upstairs, even if I had to wake her up.

The entire building was silent and most of the windows were dark, laughter sprinkling down from the few that weren't. I slipped in the front door and raced up the stairs as quietly as I could, excitement building with every step. I couldn't wait to see Ha-jeong's face when I told her about who I just met!

When I reached the last door, I slid my key in and opened it silently, poking my head through before going inside. The room was pitch black save the single ray of moonlight drifting in from the window and pooling on the carpet, painting a hazy darkness with only outlines of shapes. I fumbled for the light switch to my left, squeezing my eyes shut before I flipped it on. I waited for the splotches of color on the inside of my eyelids to fade before opening them again, greeting the room in its new light.

A groan resounded from the bottom bunk and Ha-jeong turned to face me, donning her glasses before even opening her eyes. I crossed the room to my desk and switched on a smaller writing lamp that had a more forgiving glow.

"Forgive me for such a rude awakening." I returned to the door to switch off the overhead light. "But I have something important to tell you."

She yawned, shoving her fists under her glasses to rub her eyes. "What happened?"

"You won't believe who I just ran into – or, rather, ran into me."

Suddenly my roommate was much more awake. "Not..." She looked at me for clarification.

I nodded vigorously, grinning like an idiot.

"Kang Young-Min?" Ha-jeong had a hard time not yelling and waking everyone in the building. She bounced slightly on her mattress, her eyes glittering with the prospect of gossip. "What did you talk about?"

"Benches. Benches and... salt."

Ha-jeong's expression shifted from ecstasy to confusion. "Wait... tell me everything! Word for word. How did he find you?"

So I recounted the past hour to Ha-jeong, word for word as she requested. I relished in reliving my moments with Kang, as I would no doubt do over and over lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for sleep. I held my knees to my chest every time I pictured his smile, for fear that if I didn't, my heart would topple right out.

"So that's it then..." Ha-jeong's smile melted and her eyebrows knit together like a pouting child. "No kiss."

_No kiss? _My laugh was half surprised and half amused. "What did you expect, _ohni?_"

Her eyes sparkled and she held up a finger. "Soon... It'll come soon. We can wait. I will have a handsome prince for a brother-in-law and there will be twelve miniature Kangs running around in dresses and overalls."

"I think you may be running a little far with your imagination," I laughed. "We only just met."

Lowering her hand, she rapped her knuckles twice on her other palm and sighed. "Well, it's only the first day right? And we haven't even started classes yet." She sat up straight. "Oh! I forgot to mention..." Standing, she shuffled to her desk, legs still bound by sleep. "I got my schedule."

"Any hours with me?"

"Let's see..." She grabbed the yellow slip from her desktop and brought it closer to her face until the center was almost brushing her nose. "You did say you had the privilege of Korean and Japanese for the final two hours?"

I nodded.

"Me, too. And math first hour. Three periods together isn't bad!"

"No, not at all," I agreed, climbing onto my top bunk. Then, as an afterthought: "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't worry about it! I was having quite a dreadful dream anyway."

"Really? Are you getting homesick?"

She turned of the desk lamp, flooding the room in darkness once more. "Hardly," she said, settling back down on her bottom bunk. "My mother is a drunk and my father's favorite hobby is candle making."

I took the barrettes out of my long hair and shed my uniform, draping it neatly on the headboard. "I'm sorry. Was your dream about them, then?"

She laughed quietly as I slipped into my white nightgown, contemplating the complexity of family life. "Good heavens, no," she said, yawning. "I barely give them a thought when I'm away. Tonight, Jessica gave me my dream."

Slipping into my white nightgown, I leaned back into the surprisingly soft bed, pulling the quilt over my toes. "Jessica? It sounds like a foreign name."

"Yes, it is. She's one of my favorite ghosts, you know. Would you like to hear her story?"

This time it was my turn to yawn, stretching my arms high above my head and wiggling my fingers in the shadows. Usually, I enjoyed ghost stories as long as they were inherently chilling instead of pointlessly gory. And today, in a new home with new friends and a new way of living, I needed something a little like a ghost story to put me next to a campfire with my sisters, roasting marshmallows and holding hands.

"Alright."

"Jessica came here from the States," Ha-jeong started, a sense of excitement already building in the air. "She intended to go to a university in Seoul and applied for a scholarship here at Pa Jun."

"Here? Whatever for?"

"She loved Asia; couldn't be content anywhere else."

I tried to imagine someone passionately wanting to live in a crossroads town like Gimcheon and failed.

"Anyway, the students here hated her. Even the teachers did, though no one isn't really sure exactly why. They said there was just something horrifying about her. Something that made you never want to have anything to do with her."

"I can't imagine why she was so unpleasant."

She sighed. "She hung herself. Gossip says she hung from tower of the library, but with a building like that – with a tower and a turret, I mean – gossip would hardly allow you to hang yourself anywhere else."

"Is suicide certain?" I asked, trying my best to sound spooky. "Maybe one of the students or teachers got fed up with her and made it look like she hung herself."

"Or maybe she didn't really die at all and still lives in the recesses of the school, waiting for her tormentors to come back!"

We shared a quiet laugh, careful not to wake our neighbors.

"No, but really..." Ha-jeong continued, suddenly serious. "I have talked to people who have seen her."

"So she was here last year?"

"No, three years ago."

"But this is only a two year-"

"You know what I mean, silly!" she interrupted. "Her spirit."

I chortled. "Spirit, huh? Was she any more pleasant than when she was alive?"

"Park Pil-gi told me he saw her in the library when he was closing it up one night."

"And how do you know he isn't making that up?"

She swung her arm around the top bunk, hitting me with the end of the pillow. "You're no fun. Just go to sleep, we have class at seven."

"Maybe we'll have first hour with the ghost of Jessica."

"Shut up!"

"I hope she likes arithmetic."

"_Goodnight_, Juhee!"

I grinned, snuggling closer into my coverlet and closing my eyes, picturing Kang Young-min as I knew I would.

"Goodnight, Ha-jeong."


End file.
